


Blood Lust

by Dream_Wreaver



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Fighting, Vampires, Vampiric Anger, When Fighting brings out Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 15:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17603687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: Fifty years of rumors and it all comes to a boiling point. Now Nathalie's out, she's angry, and she's after blood





	Blood Lust

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, January's almost over and I haven't written any Gabenath yet? For shame, let's rectify that now, shall we? Hope you enjoy!

Emilie had been the perfect choice as a queen. She was of royal lineage and good breeding regardless, well-mannered, well-liked, beautiful, intelligent. Basically, she was everything anyone could ever want in a queen, wife, or woman. She held her position of power well, and her ladies-in-waiting were exceptional. So why, they had wondered, did King Gabriel keep Nathalie around. At first, it had made sense, she was his Childe, he was her sire, of course she had to stay close to him. She had no clue what she was doing in their world. But, long after the time his fledgling should have been fully fledged she remained. And even more egregiously, he’d given her a position in his court, as his right hand. Not even under his queen’s command, under  _ his _ . Nathalie had too much freedom, and too much sway, and whenever Emilie would step in to intervene there would be an icy rift between them which would last days, weeks, a few times even years.

It had been no wonder when after almost three centuries together Emilie had finally had enough. She renounced her crown and her position as Gabriel’s wife. Her ladies-in-waiting and a few loyal court members went off to form a coven of their own. Gabriel allowed it, the gossips felt it was the least he could do, after all the graciousness her former majesty had shown by tolerating his majesty’s Childe when she should have left long before Emilie had.

Of course, what the gossips knew wasn’t the truth at all. But then, it was none of their business, so of course they wouldn’t know. Still, as callous and uncaring as Nathalie was, hearing the constant whispers behind her back for fifty years following the incident was growing quite irritating. Not that it mattered, if she said anything and Gabriel took action they would know and it would never stop. And of course he wouldn’t allow her to show her  _ true _ strength. She was his Childe, but as far as anyone knew she was weak. She won’t drink  _ human _ blood, they said, she denied herself true power. She was a disgrace and it was only by some sort of misguided benevolence on his majesty’s part that kept her alive. It didn’t matter to them that she was smart, competent, capable, and a million other things worth more than her eternal youth and beauty. The people only saw what they want to saw, even when they were vampires who looked down on the “boorish” and “simple” humans they preyed upon.

Nathalie’s heels clacked against the floor as she walked by, once again tuning out the hushed whispers of courtiers that apparently had nothing better to do than lounge around in Gabriel’s home all day. For god’s sakes! Even the king himself had things to do that had nothing to do with politics. Gabriel had decided at one point that running an entire underground body of immortal vampires was simply too easy, so he’d decided to make his name in the mortal world as a famous fashion designer. And Nathalie had taken up the duties as his professional assistant. So now, not only did she have to deal with the idiots from the court, she had to deal with the gossip rags in the human world accusing her of sleeping her way into her position every other week.

Which had brought her here. The stress of her job, her double life, all she wanted was a simple escape. Emilie’s coven had entrenched themselves quite nicely into human society, as well as vampiric society. They ran a series of clubs catered to mortals and bloodsuckers alike. Emilie preferred to stay at the first one. Her flagship, her baby, well aside from her  _ actual _ baby Adrien, who spent his time alternating between his parents. Having been around for about a hundred and fifty of the two-hundred and fifty of his parents marriage, he wasn’t quite happy with the breakup, but he had been around long enough to be certain that forcing them to stay together wouldn’t have been a good idea either.

“Human idealism,” Nathalie snorted into her drink, a very,  _ very _ Bloody Mary. The vodka did give the O type a certain extra kick, “You only believe in eternal love because you yourselves aren’t eternal. As if you could spend an actual eternity by someone’s side constantly in love. Good heavens, I haven’t spent the last two and a half centuries by his side  _ platonically _ without wanting to kill him at least  _ once _ .”

“What was that Nat darling?” Emilie asked as she finished mixing another customer’s drink.

“Oh nothing,” Nathalie replied, taking another swig, “The rumors still haven’t stopped, it’s just a little frustrating; especially since I have to deal with the court and the paparazzi now.”

“I know,” Emilie sighed sympathetically, “No one can ever believe you just fall out of love with someone. Falling in love? Easy, reasonable, completely understandable. Falling  _ out _ of it though? It’s about as believable as werewolves and vampires.”

“But we  _ are _ vampires,” Nathalie pointed out.

“Doesn’t make it any easier for them to believe,” Emilie countered with a small laugh, “Another drink?”

Nathalie belatedly realized her glass was empty, “Please and thank you,” she sighed again, “You’d think after fifty years it would have gotten old by now.”

“Have you spoken to Gabriel about it?”

“To what end?” Nathalie lamented, “If I tell him he’ll do something in his typical heavy-handed way, everyone will know, and then the gossip won’t stop. I’ve already got one world saying I’m sleeping with him and another saying I ruined his marriage. Adding more fuel to the fire is not what I want to do at this point.”

“I can understand that,” Emilie gave a sympathetic pout as she placed another glass in front of her, “You know, Jagged’s been wondering when you’ll join him again. He’s been missing you,”

“Ah Jagged,” Nathalie let out a sigh as she took another sip, “I care about him. He’s a good friend, but he’s more for a good time than a long time. Wait, that came out wrong,” Nathalie shook her head, “Are you sure we can’t get drunk?”

“From normal alcohol, yes, but you’re mixing it with blood. Might want to take it easy pet,” Emilie placed a hand on her head.

“I have to wonder why there haven’t been rumors about me coming here to start a fight with you.”

“Please,” Emilie scoffed, “As if I would allow anyone to badmouth you. You and Gabriel are Fledgling and Sire. I knew that when I met him, I knew that when I married him. There’s no bond on earth that could break you two apart if neither of you wanted it. He never treated you better than me, and you weren’t the reason our marriage broke apart. On the contrary, I think it would have broken apart a lot faster if you hadn’t been there acting as an intermediary.”

“The former king certainly didn’t help matters,” Nathalie muttered darkly.

“Edward always was a stubborn old goat. Once he set his mind to something no one could change it. And he always went to any length to achieve his own ends. He didn’t like me because Gabriel  _ chose _ me, rather than letting his father handpick a bride for him. He loved you though,”

“Yep,” Nathalie let the p pop as she nodded, taking another sip of her cocktail, “Right up until I drove the stake through his heart. Though, he might have loved me even then,”

“It takes a strong vampire to kill a royal, Childe of the line or no.”

“It was him, or it was you, and I wasn’t about to let it be you.”

“Thank you darling,” Emilie bussed Nathalie’s cheek, “And to get back to what we were talking about, I understand. You and Jagged, your chemistry is good, physically at least. As good as you are at handling Gabriel, Gabriel I have to admit is much more manageable than Jagged. Bless Penny for putting up with him, and Clara too, for that matter.”

“Tell me about it,” Nathalie murmured, going to take a sip and lamenting the fact that her glass was somehow magically empty again. She took the glass and shook it in Emilie’s direction.

But apparently two mixed blood drinks caused Emilie’s maternal instinct to kick in, “I think you’ve had enough,” she said, placing a hand over the glass and setting it back down on the table.

“Just one more?” Nathalie cajoled, making wide eyes and pouty lips when Emilie didn’t look like she was going to comply, “Please?”

Emilie let out a long-suffering sigh, “You know, you’re lucky you’re cute,” she smiled warmly, “What would my husband do without you?”

“I don’t know,” Nathalie shrugged, “What did he do before me?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. But he’s either sending a car for you or coming to get you himself, that’s my condition,” 

“ _ Fine _ ,” Nathalie huffed.

Emilie took the glass and went to refill it.

A rush of customers came in just as Emilie finished the cocktail. And she placed it to the side as her guests clamored for her attention. Nathalie sat there, patiently waiting for Emilie to finish with them. She was already two drinks in, maybe it would be good to sober up a little before downing the third. Unfortunately, one of the newer patrons of the night seemed to notice her solitary seating situation and decided it was up to him to rectify it.

“Hey there, mind if I join you?” he asked.

Between the rumours and the stress of both her jobs, Nathalie was not in the mood to deal with flirting tonight. Nevermind the fact that it had been quite some time since she’d last had a partner of any kind. Jagged notwithstanding, he had his girls to keep him busy, even if he did miss her. But it had been months since she’d seen him and even longer since she’d had a steady partner of any kind. Most found the fact that she was a Childe of and right hand to the king off-putting. She was powerful, and that made them feel insignificant. But this man next to her? He was just like all the others. Thinking he was suave when in reality he was just an annoyance, and Nathalie had run out of patience for the evening.

“Yes, actually I do,” she replied curtly.

“Oh come on sweetheart,” he cooed, sliding in next to her even though she’d told him to back off, “Give me a chance. One drink, let me get you a drink.”

“In case you had noticed anything beyond my breasts, I  _ do _ have a drink waiting for me. I’m just waiting on it to be delivered.”

“Looks like my friends are keeping the tender pretty busy,” he remarked.

“What a pity they can’t keep  _ you _ busy as well.”

“Oh come now, play nice,” he joked, “I can be nice if you’d give me a chance.”

“And why should I?” Nathalie whirled to face him, “I’ve already told you I didn’t want to be disturbed, and yet you keep insisting on your delusion that I owe you my time, my conversation, my anything. And to be honest, it’s getting quite annoying,”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be as annoyed if you’d take that stick out of your ass and loosen up,” he grumbled, “Are you always this frigid?”

“Nope,” Nathalie confirmed, “Only with self-entitled assholes like yourself.”

“Careful love,” he growled, flashing his fangs in warning, “Some men might take such a remark as a challenge.”

Nathalie scoffed, “I’d hope you’d be smart enough not to, but all evidence you’ve provided seems to point to the contrary. And for your information,” she sneered, letting one of her own fangs jut out, “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Oh, you’re like me,” the man just didn’t seem to get it, did he? Rather than taking the multiple warnings and outs she’d given him he only seemed to take them as an amusing, idle threat. Not something she was fully capable of following through on. And he was taking any conclusion that suited his own desires best, “Come on then, let’s leave and have some fun.”

Fun, eh? Nathalie almost felt sorry for him. Because he was about to be on the receiving end of about two and a half centuries worth of aggravation. But one look at the smarmy smile on his face and Nathalie saw red. She reached up and cupped his cheek, and when her fingers were far enough she locked them into his hair and slammed his head down against the top of the bar,  _ hard _ .

“What the hell?” he sputtered, even as a trail of blood started trickling down the side of his face, “You fucking bitch!”

Seeing the dripping red essence freely flowing Nathalie’s frustrations and desire to vent them only increased. The blue of her irises was completely eclipsed by red, and a demonic grin stretched widely across her features. She grabbed ahold of his shirt and lifted him up with a single hand, not even breaking a sweat. Her rage had taken hold, and it would be appeased by nothing more than weregild, a blood price.

“Nathalie!” a voice called for her attention, “Nathalie stop!”

It was Emilie, and she was currently trying to hold back the horde of now angry customers who had seen her attack their friend. Ha, let them come, she could take them all.

“Nathalie,” Emilie’s voice, and eyes, were hard, “Put him down,  _ now _ .”

The beast in Nathalie wanted to rip out her throat. But this was Emilie, she wouldn’t do something to trap or hurt Nathalie. So with a sneering growl of reluctance she tossed him to the side. The impact caused him to pass out. The crowd growled.

“Let’s settle this outside,” one of them sneered.

“Absolutely not,” Emilie immediately stepped in, “There is going to be no fighting of any kind on my property.”

“She attacked our friend out of nowhere!” the crowd parried, “We should be the ones that decide what to do with her,”

Nathalie growled, baring her fangs. Her eyes were still red, and she was ready to tear them all apart the instant even one of them made a move towards her. There was a low, persistent growl emanating her like a threatening purr. She was waiting, just waiting on one of these louts to try and hit her. She would make them rue the day, and the rest of eternity, if she gave them that long.

“What is the meaning of this?” another voice boomed imperiously. Everyone turned to look, and there was Gabriel, Vampire King of France, standing in the bar of his former queen.

Instantly the vampires supplicated, “Your majesty,” they bowed, “This vampire has attacked our friend unprovoked, we merely wanted to dole out her punishment.”

Clearly they were not close to the court, otherwise they would have recognized exactly who Nathalie was, and how much trouble they were about to be in.

“I see,” Gabriel replied noncommittally, “Though, traditionally she has demonstrated good judgement and a calm demeanor. So, I am more inclined to believe she would not have attacked your companion without undue reason, Nathalie prefers to use communication to violence. Nevertheless, shall I make my Childe give you an apology she obviously won’t mean? Or would you like to force the issue further?”

His eyes burned just as red as Nathalie’s, though his show was done deliberately. Instantly they cowered, and it was clear they had realized their offense.

“N-n-no your majesty,” they simpered, “If your Childe was pushed to violence it must have been our friend’s fault. We’re so sorry, and it won’t happen again, we promise.”

They gathered up their fallen comrade and wisely beat a hasty retreat. Gabriel turned to his fledgling, who was still staring angrily at the spot they’d vacated. And then, at his ex-wife who was still behind the bar.

“What happened?” he asked her.

“Nathalie is presumably an angry drunk.” Emilie replied, “She’s had two very Bloody Marys and was on her way to a third when a group of customers came in. I don’t know what happened after that as I was trying to serve them. Please Gabriel, just take her home and let her sleep it off. You can discipline her in the morning.”

“We’ll see about that,” Gabriel informed her, “First I want to see why I felt emotion so intense from my fledgling. Thank you, for looking after her Emilie.”

Emilie sighed as she came out from behind the bar, “You and I both know she’s not the reason we didn’t work out. I love Nathalie, I always have. Please, just make sure she’s alright.”

“In love or not, I could never deny you anything,” he kissed her cheek, and allowed her to do the same with Nathalie as she bid the feral woman goodbye. Nathalie appeared to calm at the gentle motion, but she was still incredibly tightly wound. Gabriel took her hand and hauled her out of the bar. Once outside, he used his own abilities to transport them to an empty field.

“Alright,” he said as he let her go, “What happened back there?”

Nathalie only growled harshly in response to his brusque tone.

“Oh, I see,” Gabriel tsked, “Still a little too angry to speak coherently are we? And here I thought you were of a stronger will than that.”

His words were doing the opposite of helping. And yet, disappointing her Sire was the last thing Nathalie ever wanted to do. Reluctantly she calmed down enough to speak, “I wanted to be left alone and was not. I warned him to go away, and he refused. I saw red, I slammed his head down against the bar, and then I was stopped from ripping him limb from limb like I truly wanted to. Then his pathetic little friends wanted to teach me a lesson and the rest,” she shrugged, “Well you know that already.”

Gabriel sighed, “What am I going to do with you Nathalie?”

“You don’t need to do anything Sire,” she replied, “I’m not your fledgling anymore, though why you don’t want people to know that confuses me. I can take responsibility for my own actions you know.”

“You’re already too close to me,” Gabriel removed his glasses and pinched his brows together, “They’ve accused you of ruining my marriage, the human world and a good portion of the vampire one thinks you’re sleeping with me, and you’re my advisor, my closest confidant. The human world will think what it wants regardless. But the Vampire court? It’s unheard of for a female vampire who’s not a king’s consort or queen to wield as much power as you do. And they only tolerate it because they think you’re still my Childe, and that harming you would bring down my wrath.”

“And I’m sure there are just as many who view me as your weakness,” she had quieted the storm from all these years for the moment, though she had by no means soothed it.

“Do you know what happens when a Sire loses their Childe whilst still bonded?” Gabriel asked, “When a Sire shares of their blood, it creates more than a vampire. There’s a connection between souls, and minds. To lose a Childe that is not fully fledged, it has caused many a vampire to go mad. And that, if they have one, is the capital punishment we use for insolent vampires who forget their place. True, if someone wanted to try and harm me they might kill you. But then they would run the risk of an insane vampire monarch who would destroy everything to avenge his Childe’s death. Do you really think any intelligent vampire would want to risk that?”

“No,” Nathalie shook her head, “I suppose they wouldn’t.”

“What do you want now Nathalie?” Gabriel asked her, “Do you truly want your freedom to be broadcast to the world? Do you want to put a bigger target on your back than already is? I can do that, if that is what you want.”

“I… I don’t know what I want sire,” Nathalie lamented, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, “All I know is that I’m so sick of…” she trailed off.

“What Nathalie?” he pressed, “Sick of what?”

“This!” she shouted, “Everything I have to bear. I’m the subject of all sorts of rumour and I don’t even get any of the benefits of any of them! What power do I have when I’m the one blamed for seducing her sire and ruining the royal court? To them I’m just a slut who’ll throw herself at any man with enough power to give me. And now I’ve gone and done the one thing I swore not to. Who cares if you know? Because you’ll intervene in the most heavy-handed way possible and nothing will change! You can’t kill half your courtiers just because they’ve insulted me, and I’m not normally one to get so frustrated about things like this or let them bother me but it’s been going on for over a century now in one form or another and I’m just sick of it!”

She panted with expended energy and frustration. Without even realizing it the red had crept back into her eyes. She wanted to kill something, attack it, tear it to shreds. The beast in her was sick of being caged by all the strictures her life had accumulated since joining Gabriel.

“Maybe,” she murmured, “Maybe I’m not as strong as you thought I was, all those years ago.”

Gabriel was silent for a moment, before letting out a long-suffered sigh, “Nathalie,” he called for her attention, “Do you know where we are?”

She looked around, “It just looks like an empty field to me, sire,”

“Perfect don’t you think?” he asked, “To expend some of that pent up aggression of yours.”

“What are you getting at?”

Gabriel chuckled, lowly and mockingly, “You need to understand what is expected of you in my court. And so, I am going to discipline you.”

“What, as my “master”?” Nathalie sneered back, placing her hands on her hips.

“Much as I enjoy that particular fantasy, no,” Gabriel replied, “I am going to discipline you as your king.”

Nathalie’s eyes narrowed, “You wouldn’t,”

His powers flared out around them and suddenly he looked fit for a battle, “Oh believe me,” he cooed cruelly, “I would.”

In an instant he was lunging for her and Nathalie only barely had time to duck out of the way. His blow landed him with his forearm deep in the dirt. And though he broke free easily enough Nathalie knew had he landed it would have gone straight through her abdomen. Her fangs bared themselves and she hissed, limbs contorting in such a way as to make herself appear larger and more frightening than she actually was.

Gabriel had the audacity to smirk, “Come now Nathalie,” he tutted, “Childe or not, reasonably angry or not, you have acted in a manner unbefitting of a vampire in the royal family. And since you don’t want to be disciplined as a Childe, you leave me no other choice. Come on then, show me what you’ve got.”

“I will kill you!” Nathalie hissed, “Sire or not I swear I’ll kill you!”

“Believe me my dear,” Gabriel chuckled, “I’d love to see you try.”

Nathalie lunged at him, adrenaline, anger, and alcohol fueling her actions. Her hands extended, fingers curling into pointed black claws. She slashed, and hit shadows again. He certainly wouldn’t make this easy for her, would he?

“Oh come now Nathalie,” he taunted, appearing as though he’d been standing there the whole time, “I taught you better than that.”

Nathalie held perfectly still, keeping her face away from his gaze. Without their sire bond, he couldn’t read her thoughts, but only because she was too strong of will. She felt his eyes on her, especially when he began to circle. If Gabriel had one fatal flaw, it was that he was always one for dramatics, attention. And when he didn’t get it, he would do everything he could to incite a reaction. And  _ that _ was exactly what Nathalie was counting on. All she had to do was wait. Eventually, he made a mistake, got too close. Nathalie struck, shredding the sleeve of his suit, right down to leaving bloody claw marks in his skin. He barely reacted, merely clicking his tongue.

“Sloppy Nathalie,” he shook his head, “Very sloppy. Now, let me show you how it’s done,”

Before she could blink he was slamming her back into the ground, pinning her down harshly and putting such force on her bones she knew if she tried to struggle she’d only succeed in breaking them. His knees squeezed at the side of her hips while his hands were manacled around her wrists. Gabriel leered down at her,

“Well now, isn’t this an interesting position you’ve gotten yourself into Miss Sancoeur?”

He was trying to bait her, looking for a way to purposefully get a rise out of her. And now that she’d told him how frustrated she was with all the rumors about the nature of their relationship, and how that had affected his relationship with Emilie, he knew it was one of her buttons. One that he so desperately wanted to press, didn’t he? But she was his Childe, and she had just as much power as he did. All she needed to do was use it.

With nary more than a thought, Nathalie melted into shadows and pinned him just as he had pinned her. She growled ferociously, baring her fangs. That should show him, she was just as capable, just as powerful, just as skilled. It didn’t matter that he was the elder, that he was her Sire, she would surpass him. But the problem was, rather than looking floored, rather than being surprised or impressed at her quick thinking and reversal of the situation, he just looked amused. That stupid handsome face of his simply smirked,

“Really now Nathalie?” he asked, obviously finding more humor in this than she was, “Not that I mind you topping, but really, what would the rumor mill say if they found us like this?”

And there it was, the press of the button. But the adrenaline of the fight had mostly left. She was calm. Nathalie knew it had never been his intention to hurt her, nor to punish her. He just wanted to give her a way to safely let off steam. He could take it, he’d certainly taken far worse in his long afterlife. The only problem was, was that as much as the rumor mill comment annoyed her, it was the one before it that left her feeling flustered and confused. Yes, everyone talked about her having slept with her Sire, her boss, whatever society deemed him as to her. But, Nathalie had never seriously contemplated the idea that he might be interested in her any way other than platonically, familially. She was his Childe after all. He’d saved her from a short life of misery, taught her to be strong, encouraged her self-reliance. The reason he’d never wanted her to publicly declare her independence… she’d always figured he thought she wasn’t really ready, that she needed more time to hone her abilities. The idea that he might want her in that way, not only was it flattering, it was earth-shattering.

Gabriel, ever the opportunist as always, took advantage of her distraction and flipped them back to the way he’d had them before. But there was nothing punishing in his caging this time. This was playful, teasing.

“Then again,” he mused as he looked down at her, “Perhaps you prefer it this way, no?”

Was he… was he actually making a move on her? Did he actually hold an interest in her? Well, only one way to find out, and if he was only teasing her Nathalie would get her revenge. Gabriel didn’t take too well to being given a taste of his own medicine in the slightest. She let her lids drop, let her eyes become hooded. She saw his triumphant smirk turn into confusion. Why wasn’t she fighting back? So he had been teasing her then, oh well, no sense in stopping now.

Nathalie gently slipped her wrists from his hands and stretched them higher above her, arching her back and bring her into closer contact with his own body. He held still, but in a rigid sort of way, as though he’d been petrified. The scuffle had ruined her hair already, so Nathalie simply took out the remaining pins and let it spread out around them. Gabriel let out a harsh breath through his nose at her actions. She was affecting him, and this thought sent a rush of power surging through her. So he hadn’t been immune, wasn’t as above it all as he liked to think he was.

“What are you doing Nathalie?” he asked her as he felt her foot slip free from her shoe and slide along his calf.

She put on her best mask of innocent confusion, “Isn’t this what you  _ want _ me to do?” her lips distended into a bewitching pout, “Isn’t this what you’ve wanted for years?” her arms twined around him and she leaned up, whispering in his ear, “Or were you serious when you said you wanted me to top?”

Without warning she bit down hard in the juncture of his neck, staining his clothes with his own blood. This hadn’t happened in years, not since he’d given her her freedom. His blood had tasted different back then, just as it had tasted different the very first time she’d ever had it: the night he’d turned her. Back then it had tasted like nothing more than metallic fluid assaulting her senses until she passed out from the toll her transformation was taking on her body. When he’d freed her it had tasted like… like memories, the memories they shared each forming a link in their bond. And now? Now it tasted like ambrosia, ancient and ethereal. Gabriel froze above her further, and then a low moan escaped his throat. He’d once explained to her -in what was potentially the most awkward conversation they’d ever had- that vampires had an almost intrinsic need to bite, even when involved in intimacy. Even when with another vampire. A vampire’s bite was a staking of claim, not on prey, but on anything they bit. Nathalie had enjoyed quite a few nips here and there over her years as a vampire, but rarely had her previous partners taken such vocal pleasure in her bite.

A sudden stinging sensation bloomed in her own neck. And then; agony, sweet, sweet agony. The sweetest pain she’d heretofore known. Was this was it was like for Gabriel? Setting herself free had broken her tether to his already muted emotions. If she knew how he was feeling at any given moment, it was due to the fact that she was the only one other than Emilie he’d ever let get close to him. Now, now she could taste everything, feel everything, and it was a tempest of emotions she was certain neither of them were really ready to deal with. But she recognized the feeling of his affection, and the taste of desire.

“Do you want this?” he asked, needing to be certain, “There is nothing that will be more difficult than facing everyone with the truth.”

“I’ve spent almost two hundred and fifty years of hearing how I seduced you. If I’m going to be labelled a seductress I expect to get the benefit such a name carries.”

The one thought that would carry when they thought of their first kiss was the sweet metallic tang of blood. Each other’s blood, as it dripped from their mouths and their necks and stained the earth beneath them. It would only be a week before Nathalie returned to the bar, and Emilie recognized the look on the other woman’s face. It was another century before the three of them returned to the court, hushing up the wagging tongues and granting the new couple her blessing, with a provision of course. But that story is for another day. After all, can a vampire’s blood lust ever truly be sated?

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading, until next time everyone!


End file.
